Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 7:31 pm Post subject: How did we get into OTR?

I apologize if this has been asked before. Im just curious.

Im 43(Next Month), so im old enough to remember listening to the CBS Radio Mystery Theater, as a kid. Probably around 5yrs ago, while looking for CBSRMT on the internet, I found a few websites devoted to OTR and was hooked after listening to some Dragnet and Gunsmoke.

I do most of my listening at work. Im in a workspace that allows the use of MP3 players, so while im at work, im really somewhere in time between 1936-1984.

I think it may be somehow related, but during the 5yrs or so I have been listening to old radio, I have almost stopped watching television and going to the movies. We go to the movies occasionally, and we watch about 3 TV shows total. But thats it. My wife likes to read a lot and I have a few hobbies, and read also. I think my enjoyment of these old shows has turned me off of the more violent stuff on TV today. Im no prude, I was a sailor but I appreciate the entertainment that was packed into a 30min program, with no video. Just audio and my imagination.
Although I have been accused of being an 'Old Soul'. My musical interests are either country&western, Big Bands, Rat Pack, etc.

Sorry for rambling on.
I am curious about others entry into this hobby.

I also got into OTR listening to CBSRMT in the '70s and early '80s. It went off the air my freshman year of college. For a while in the late '70s, the station I listened to CBSRMT on also carried Sears Radio Theatre immediately before it, which made a nice two-hour block. When I was in junior high school, I used to tape CBSRMT episodes and share them with my friends. They thought I was kind of weird, but that's okay.

When I was in high school, a new listener supported FM station started up in our city and they played vintage radio shows in the early evening, just ahead of the BBC World Service news. There, I discovered Gunsmoke (I still get a chuckle out of visualizing William "Jake & the Fat Man" Conrad playing Matt Dillon), Escape, X-Minus One, My Favorite Husband, and others. There was also an NPR station that broadcast vintage shows including Jack Benny and Suspense alongside contemporary ones like Nightfall, Star Wars, The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy, Bradbury 13, and Chet Cheddar's Tales from the Morgue. I was still listening to OTR on that station into the mid-'90s. Of course, I've also always been a big Garrison Keillor fan.

Funny thing when The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy books started coming out when I was in high school, they became very popular with some of my friends, but none of them were aware the radio series that originated it all even existed. I regretted not taping those, but eventually bought the cassettes when they came out around 1990.

When my husband and I had only been married a few years we found an AM radio station that played a lot of the old time radio shows. We liked the shows and taped a lot of them onto cassette tapes. Eventually we moved across country and used to listen to those tapes over and over. Sometimes we found some cassette tapes in stores with old time radio shows we hadn't taped. We were very hooked on the shows.

When our oldest daughter got married she moved away. I told my husband I needed a computer to keep in touch with her, so we got one. I did keep in touch with the oldest daughter, but I also kept doing searches for OTR. I used to find a few shows at a time on certain sites, but suddenly I found the Zoot forum. Then, others. Then, multiply and now I have more shows downloaded than I can keep up with listening to, but I'm not complaining.

I was just old enough to hear the last few years of radio before television was introduced in Australia, so I understood what it was.

Reading about the great old radio shows from the U.S., I never expected to get a chance to actually hear any of them. Then along came the World Wide Web, and things changed!_________________tuned in from down under

I also got my start listening to Old Time Radio with CBSRMT in the 70's. I missed the first few yrs (was only 3 when it started in 1974) but I can remember lying on my parents bed listening to the show on the radio when I was young. I thought for a long time that CBSRMT went off the air in 1978 rather than in 1982. Maybe it did in my area, I don't know. It is good to see that they are around to be listened to still though. I don't watch as much tv as I used to either. Mostly movies I have on DVD now. My tv viewing also declined after I started to collect OTR from the web. I agree with ussmidway about the audio and my own imagination being even better than what is generally on tv today. I think it's the closest thing (along with audio books perhaps) to the old oral storytellers whose history goes back at least to the time of Homer if not even further. It's the true theatre of the mind.

Last edited by crich70 on Mon May 11, 2009 4:42 pm; edited 1 time in total

I've shared this before on some other boards but I don't mind sharing it again if you don't mind reading it (those of you who may have already heard it)

Back when I was in elemntary school (Late seventies) my brother and I had travelled to Atlanta to see another brother for Christmas and we were driving back to my parents on Christmas Eve and heading up the mountains into Tennessee, we found an AM station that was playing Christmas OTR for the eveing and I was enthralled. I laid the seat all the way back and just enjoyed listening and laughing.

When we were home, i spent many a night hunting the AM band looking for more OTR and eventually found WBAP out of Dallas who had a Sunday night show with weekly doses of Fibber McGee, Gunsmoke and Suspense. I also discovered CBSRMT and the Sears Theater (Available at most larger sears stores. Sears where America shops for value)

Now, here we are some thirty years late and FM&M still makes me laugh. I love Gunsmoke, though I've always hated westerns. And Suspense is still one of my favorites. But I've found so many other new favorites since the advent of MP3s.

I'll be 49 on the 16th, and I remember listening to radio shows when I was a kid. My Brother and I would sit at the kitchen counter listening to the Green Hornet and other shows.
On camping vacations with my family, I'd have a radio and I'd scan channels late into the night to find otr. I still listen to shows on the radio, on Saturday nights the local college plays otr on their radio station.

I'll be 49 on the 16th, and I remember listening to radio shows when I was a kid. My Brother and I would sit at the kitchen counter listening to the Green Hornet and other shows.
On camping vacations with my family, I'd have a radio and I'd scan channels late into the night to find otr. I still listen to shows on the radio, on Saturday nights the local college plays otr on their radio station.

The woman who does the show plays all sorts, Jack Benny, Fibber and Molly...etc. If there is a Holiday, she will play shows suited to that day.
http://149.152.32.13:8000/listen.pls (winamp) Saturday nights after 6pm, till midnight. eastern time.

My fascination with Old Time Radio started at 13 years old with the nightly C.B.S. Radio Mystery Theatre and Old Time Radio Shows. I was hooked instantly and have been ever since. I would place my small tape recorder next to the radio to record shows off the air. The quality wasn't very good but I was glad to have anything. Another way I obtained shows was at the gift shop at the airport, strangley enough it was about the only place I could find them. They were the Metacom (Adventures In Cassettes) series that some of you may remember. Unfortunately many of the episodes were edited. Charles Michelson (owner of the rights at the time) did a good job of seeing to it that nobody got a complete unedited episode of a series. Growing up as a teenager I think a lot of people thought I was weird for listening to shows that were 25 to 50 years old at the time,but I didn't care, I figured if they had never listened to Old Time Radio they didn,t know what they were missing! Anyway, it's brought me many hours of joy over the past 30 years, through good times and bad.

You know, I think it's really cool--in an ironic sort of way--that it took cutting edge digital technology to revive a lost art form. Not only are the vintage shows more readily available than they ever have been, but there are new audio dramas being produced exclusively for the 'Net.

I'm sure I've mentioned it in these forums before, but one of my favorites is DarkerProjects.com.

I grew up listening to all the old radio shows, early 40's and 50's. The main shows were Lux Presents, and we would close our eyes and could see the movie in our minds. Great Gildersleave, Intersantum, Creaking door, Straight Arrow, Tom Mix. This is the only entertainment we had until we got a TV in the early 50s. I remember everyone of these old shows and enjoy them all.

I remember back in the late 1970s when my father was stationed at Fort Sheridan (just north of Chicago) and I discovered CBS Mystery Theater. After we moved I didn't listen any longer.

Fast forward to about a month or so ago, got to the point where everything on my XM satellite radio was depressing me....seriously. Got tired of all the bad news and the talk host driving me crazy.

I drive a lot for work and was driving from Amarillo, Texas to San Angelo, Texas (about five hour drive) and I just happened to change the channel to XM 164, which is the Classic Radio Channel. A four or five part series of "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar" just started and I was hooked. About the only channel I listen to now. I have enjoyed just about every show I've listen to. Now trying to get my own collection together for my iPod.

Glad I found this place and a big THANK YOU to Brad for providing this place.

A couple of years ago, my then-girlfriend gave me Sirius Satellite Radio for my birthday. My favorite station was 118, the "Radio Classics" channel. It reignited my interest in OTR. I don't have Sirius--or that girlfriend--anymore, but I think Sirius 118 and XM 164 may be the same now that the two services have merged. I understand that Sirius has been doing a lot of systematic pruning of redundant programming between the two, usually replacing XM channels with their Sirius equivalents.

MikeyG1965 wrote:

I remember back in the late 1970s when my father was stationed at Fort Sheridan (just north of Chicago) and I discovered CBS Mystery Theater. After we moved I didn't listen any longer.

Fast forward to about a month or so ago, got to the point where everything on my XM satellite radio was depressing me....seriously. Got tired of all the bad news and the talk host driving me crazy.

I drive a lot for work and was driving from Amarillo, Texas to San Angelo, Texas (about five hour drive) and I just happened to change the channel to XM 164, which is the Classic Radio Channel. A four or five part series of "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar" just started and I was hooked. About the only channel I listen to now. I have enjoyed just about every show I've listen to. Now trying to get my own collection together for my iPod.

Glad I found this place and a big THANK YOU to Brad for providing this place.

Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 6:56 pm Post subject: how did we get into OTR?

I am 56 and remember the fun of listening to four hours of old radio shows using my crystal radio. It was loads of fun but often ended way too soon because I couldn't stay awake. From Portland Oregon I was able to get KGO in San Francisco. The reception often went in and out during the most important time of the story but I didn't give up. I was supposed to be asleep but managed to listen without detection thanks to my red rocket crystal radio. It was loads of fun and something to look forward to on weekend nights. The little alligator clip attached to just about anything metal in my room and I listened through an earphone. My dad probably knew, but never said a word.
Later in life my two children inherited the same love of radio through The Cinnamon Bear shows. A department store in Portland had the Cinnamon Bear at Christmas instead of Santa. He passed out cinnamon bear cookies and met children throughout the store during the holiday season. I didnít hesitate to snatch up the Cinnamon Bear cassette tapes after reading a small notice in our newspaper. Three generations have listened to Cinnamon Bear, starting with my mother and the original broadcasts. The serialized story began on or just after Thanksgiving with the final episode airing Christmas Eve. I heard it over KBPS which was operated by students from Benson Polytechnic High School. Continuing the tradition, my daughter now shares Cinnamon Bear with her primary students. It will be part of my sonís Christmas in Iraq also. He said it just didnít feel like Christmas without it the last time he was there. MOMíS OTR FULFILLMENT CENTER is happily working to fill his current OTR wish list. And I expect to fill several more in the months ahead.

Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 8:18 pm Post subject: Re: how did we get into OTR?

Hi ToadToedPrincess,
You can find the Cinnamon Bear OTR program at the members page under the "Holiday Shows" folder.

ToadToedPrincess wrote:

I am 56 and remember the fun of listening to four hours of old radio shows using my crystal radio. It was loads of fun but often ended way too soon because I couldn't stay awake. From Portland Oregon I was able to get KGO in San Francisco. The reception often went in and out during the most important time of the story but I didn't give up. I was supposed to be asleep but managed to listen without detection thanks to my red rocket crystal radio. It was loads of fun and something to look forward to on weekend nights. The little alligator clip attached to just about anything metal in my room and I listened through an earphone. My dad probably knew, but never said a word.
Later in life my two children inherited the same love of radio through The Cinnamon Bear shows. A department store in Portland had the Cinnamon Bear at Christmas instead of Santa. He passed out cinnamon bear cookies and met children throughout the store during the holiday season. I didnít hesitate to snatch up the Cinnamon Bear cassette tapes after reading a small notice in our newspaper. Three generations have listened to Cinnamon Bear, starting with my mother and the original broadcasts. The serialized story began on or just after Thanksgiving with the final episode airing Christmas Eve. I heard it over KBPS which was operated by students from Benson Polytechnic High School. Continuing the tradition, my daughter now shares Cinnamon Bear with her primary students. It will be part of my sonís Christmas in Iraq also. He said it just didnít feel like Christmas without it the last time he was there. MOMíS OTR FULFILLMENT CENTER is happily working to fill his current OTR wish list. And I expect to fill several more in the months ahead.

I am 32 now. When I was a kid we would drive from Edmonton Alberta Canada.. to Kelowna B.C. Canada. about a 2 day drive. In our city there is a station 630ched, that can be heard for miles and mile. Rocky mountain house is about 3 hours from Edmonton. Every summer we would go in our truck with a canopy. I sleeping in the canopy part, mom and dad in the front. We'd stop at Rocky before home, it was our last stop. usually late at night. My dad would drive.. mom now in the back seat as me and dad listened to radio shows (he loved them as a kid). It is still one of the greatest memories I have of summers and me and dad still do it sometimes.

Like Brad I first heard some episodes of The Shadow amongst others that I bought on tape whilst on holiday in America (I'm British by the way). I used to see all the ads in Eerie and Creepy for LP's of old radio shows and longed to hear them. When I hooked up to the internet I think the first otr site I stumbled on was Radiolovers and from there Zoot Radio.
I still find it amazing that so many of these shows are still available and can't thank enough the people who take the time and effort to share these shows with us.